Digital Garden

Kleinhovia hospita L.

ഗസ്റ്റ് ട്രീ

Family : STERCULIACEAE

Synonym : Cattimarus hospitus (L.) Kuntze

Common Names : Guest Tree

Flowering Period : March-September

Distribution : Indo-Malesia and Tropical Africa

Habitat : Grown as ornamental tree

Uses : The young leaves and flowers are eaten as a vegetable. The crushed leaves are used to treat skin diseases and are rubbed on the forehead in order to relieve a headache. The juice from the leaves makes a good eye wash. The leaves are also used as a hair-was to get rid of lice. The fibrous bark is used for rough cordage.

Key Characters :

Medium-sized trees; branchlets tomentose. Leaves broadly ovate or suborbicular, cordate at base, entire at margin, acuminate at apex, 10-15 x 8-12 cm, glabrous; stipules ensiform. Flowers in large large, terminal panicles; bracteoles linear to ensiform. Sepals 5, linear-lanceolate, 6-7 mm long, basally connate, pubescent outside. Petals 5, unequal, shorter than sepals, rosy. Staminal tube adnate to gynophore with a 5-fid cup at top, each segment with 3 anthers; staminodes 5, acute. Ovary 5-loculed; style slender, divided. Capsules pyriform, inflated, membranous, loculicidal, 5-valved; seeds tubercled.